Taste Bud Diaries

London has the reputation for having bland and uninspired food, but If you look in the right places, there are some tasty finds worthy of the foodie taste buds.

Below were some of my favorites from my recent trip:

Wagamama – Before my trip, a few of my friends mentioned that I should visit a place called Wagamama – a very prevalent Thai food restaurant in London. It’s everywhere, and has great food. I had a delicious curry chicken dish with coconut rice. They also have several noodle dishes. The one that I had wasn’t my favorite (a little dry), but the rice dish was superb. I also had a couple of dumplings, – very tasty, along with some peach iced tea. A nice London welcome lunch. Check!

Harrod’s Food Halls– Another recommendation that I received was to visit the Harrod’s food halls. Harrod’s is a famous and fancy department store known for high-end clothing and their food halls. ( I remember an episode of Whitney and Bobby’s reality show where Whitney Houston and her daughter were shopping in the store…but I digress…) I didn’t know what to expect, but it was simply foodie paradise. The food halls are split up into rooms that specialize in certain kinds of gourmet food, and you can either buy the food to-go (or as they say in London “take-away”) or you can eat it there. I enjoyed the tea and candy room, which had so many kinds of tea that it would make your head spin, and hundreds of different chocolate delights. I purchased some of the tea in the tea room, which had loose tea, tea bags, in all kinds of flavors, and all of the tea accessories you would want. There was a room specializing in meats and seafood, which included a caviar bar. There was also a section dedicated to jams and jellies, and even a specialty salt section. They had everything, along with glittery cupcakes.

Afternoon Tea at the Capitol Hotel– Time Out London mentioned the Capitol Hotel as an excellent option for afternoon tea. Turns out that it was rated as the best value for your money for afternoon tea. Cost was 20 pounds , which included finger sandwiches (cucumber, salmon and egg), a wide selection of teas, along with a 3-tier tower of pastries and confections. The room was beautifully decorated to the point where I made mental notes for my future home. Great service. The food was good, and I found the scones to be more like a buttery, fluffy southern-style biscuit than the dry scones that we typically tend to eat in the states. I told my friend Caroline “This isn’t a scone, this is a biscuit!” They use clotted cream (much like butter) on the scones along with jam. Tasty. A must-do for a London trip.

Food Market – I visited the Borough food market on a Saturday, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip. There were food vendors selling meat and fruit for the locals to take home (much like a farmer’s market), and there was ready-to eat food that you could eat for breakfast or lunch. I had a Caribbean curry chicken dish, which was absolutely delicious. They gave big portions, and I could have easily split the dish and still been satisfied. I tried goat milk ice cream for the first time, which is supposed to be good for those that lactose intolerant. I had a strawberry flavor, and could taste the “goat” aftertaste – like goat cheese. Not bad, but I wouldn’t be rushing out to eat it. A good alternative for those that are lactose intolerant…

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The Baltic – One of my co-workers recommended that I visit the Baltic restaurant for a trendy, gourmet dinner. The food was mainly eastern-European and they had a large selection of infused vodkas. I tried one of the honey-infused vodkas, which was served in a shot glass (for sipping, not chugging). It was served warm, and had a nice, sweet aftertaste. They had several other flavors that they made in-house as well. A great place for drinks. The food was good. I had a beet salad with a very mild and smooth goat cheese, and a chicken dish, which was buttery and flavorful. The restaurant is just a couple of blocks from the Young Vic Theater (where I saw a fabulous musical), so they have some pre-fixe menus before and after the shows (early dinner or a late dinner). I’d recommend the Baltic for a nice dinner on the town.

Pret A Manger – Chicago recently opened this store in the city – straight from London. This is a good store for a quick sandwich, or soup, and they also had breakfast. I noticed that they were advertising porridge, which I did not get the chance to eat. The selections were much different than what you would see in the states. For example, they had cold sandwiches w/shrimp inside. Prawns and shrimp seemed to be a popular item in London, as I noticed prawn cocktail potato chips in the grocery stores, etc. Very interesting.

EAT – I had my first meat pie with mashed potatoes and gravy at EAT. It was a lot like a chicken pot pie – best way I can describe it. Very comforting and delicious. Highly recommended.

If you look for good food in London, you will find it. It does exist. If you find yourself heading to London, these places are good options. Bon Appetit!